DYS
by FuuryHaavoc
Summary: At age 4 Tsuna was abducted. He was rescued at 5 and offered the chance to get stronger for the friends he has yet to meet. Tsuna returned home at 11 and told no one what happened in the 6 years he was missing. Since his return, Tsuna has been living a quiet life... for the most part, so Reborn's sudden appearance abruptly shatters his peace and opens the doors for his true family.
1. Taken

Hello! This is my third ever fanfic! It's kinda… well… let's just say that my little Tsunayoshi is a little OOC. But I personally like it when Tsuna isn't so 'no good'.

_**RATED M FOR VIOLENCE AND MAYBE A FEW OTHER THINGS…**_

_**Summary:**__ At age 4 Tsuna was abducted, he was rescued at 5 and offered the chance to get stronger for the friends he has yet to meet. Tsuna returned home at 11 and revealed to no one what happened in the 6 years he was missing. Since his return, Tsuna has been living a quiet life… for the most part, so Reborn's sudden appearance abruptly shatters his peace and opens the doors for the one thing that he has always wanted but could never have: his true family. _

"_Italian__"_

"Japanese"

'_Thoughts'_

Enjoy!

_**~0o0~**_

_**Taken**_

It was a cool October night in Namimori Japan, when four year old Sawada Tsunayoshi was taken.

The Sawada household was quiet and dark as Nana tucked her beloved son into bed.

"Good night Tsu-kun" Nana cooed affectionately, as she kissed Tsuna on his temple. The child closed one eye cutely and pouted as she ruffled his spikey hair lightly.

"Night, Kaa-san" Tsuna whispered with an adorable smile as his mother left his room, shutting the door behind her.

A blush decorated Nana's cheeks as she made her way back to her bedroom. "Tsu-kun is so cute! I wonder if he will stay like that when he gets older? And he's so smart too!"

She's so proud of her cute little boy; he's the brightest child she has ever come into contact with. He may be young but he seems to pick up on things leaps and bounds faster than the rest of the children his age. He can already read perfectly well, and is extremely perceptive for his age, understanding people and situations to a degree that actually has Nana slightly concerned. Is it normal to develop this quickly?

She broke out of her thoughts and suddenly turned to a picture of her husband Iemitsu that rested on the coffee table. Lifting it to her face she smiled softly "what do you think Iemitsu? Isn't our son the best?... Come back soon."

_**(Back in Tsuna's room)**_

Tsuna couldn't fall asleep… it's more like he didn't want to fall asleep. He just felt so anxious and uneasy; something was making his skin crawl and his mind race involuntarily. He feels like something terrible and life changing will happen very soon and this feeling is exactly why he can't bring himself to sleep.

Tsuna forced himself to stay awake as long as his small body could endure but in the end he drifted into a fitful state of half sleep that is commonly the nightmare for insomniacs.

It was because of the lightness of Tsuna's slumber that he immediately woke up when the soft sounds of his bedroom window being opened and a low grunt reached his ears.

Tsuna suppressed the urge to spring from his bed in a panic, and instead did what something inside him was desperately urging him to do. He warily opened his eyes wide to see what was happening.

A lone figure stood by the window of Tsuna's room dressed in a black suit, the man was helping a similarly dressed guy in through the window. He could barely make out two more suited men in the tree outside his window, acting as supports for the fat guy attempting to stuff himself into his room.

Tsuna could barely suppress a giggle as he watched the man in his room pull on the fat guy's arms and the two outside push on his legs. Epically failing to get said fat guy into the room. _'Wait why am I trying not to giggle? Sure it's funny, but now is not the time to be laughing!'_

Noticing that the men still haven't managed to get the guy into his room Tsuna got out of bed and shuffled quickly across his room, careful not to make any noise on the wood flooring.

Tsuna was mentally baffled at how calm he was acting despite how inwardly scared he was, and was silently congratulating himself at how he had managed to cross his room without tripping over his own two feet.

Still staying as quiet as he could, Tsuna opened the door to his closet and slid himself in and under a pile of clothes stacked on the floor; afterwards he swiftly shut the door and kept an eye on the intruding men through the slits in the wood panels.

And he'd closed the door not a moment too soon, because the second the door shut the men finally got the fat brute into Tsuna's room. The fat guy fell rather roughly due to the force that they used in pushing him in.

After fat Albert clumsily staggered to his feet the two other men jumped in through the window.

One of them had a curly mustache that reminded Tsuna of a cowboy, all he needed was a cowboy hat, boots and maybe a bandana. From that Tsuna dubbed him: mustache man. Then there was the first guy that broke into Tsuna's room, he didn't really have any distinguishing features except that he seemed to be the one in charge of their little escapade of breaking and entering. So the three year old decided to unofficially nickname him: boss guy. Then there was the second guy that entered Tsuna's room unannounced, he was rather scary looking with lots of piercings all over his face and a tattoo adorning the side of his bald head. His nickname ended up being: Baldy, for lack of anything better. And then of course was the fat guy which Tsuna had already called fat Albert.

Now that all four men were in the room they gathered around Tsuna's bed. Tsuna watched in horror as they ripped away the sheets only to be met with an empty bed.

The brunette almost snickered at the shocked looks on each of their faces. _'Wait… what?!' _Tsuna silently repeated his earlier statement: _'this is_ _defiantly not the time. More importantly why are they here… are they here for me? And just who are they?'_

Tsuna's mental question was answered when Boss guy recovered from his shock and brought his finger up to a device on his ear._ "__The damn kid__isn't here! Iemitsu must have anticipated this and moved the kid to a safe house or something__!" _He growled in an unfamiliar language.

There was a short pause then the look on boss guy's face changed from irritated to 'so scared he could piss himself'. _"__B-but boss how do you__expect us to find him if we have absolutely no idea__ –" He_ stopped again. Then his face turned grim _"__understood boss__"._

Tsuna continued to watch as the boss man pressed a button on his earpiece. _"__Alright, bosses orders, we find the vongola brat.__"_ Collective groans were heard from the men assembled. Then as they started to move out of the room Mustache man's shirt shifted, revealing a 9mm glock 19 tucked into the waistband of his pants.

Tsuna gasped. His eyes widened and pupils dilated as his previous calm left him in a whoosh. Leaving only fear, fear, and more fear. Tsuna quickly darted backwards, back and head hitting the wall with an audible thump and if that wasn't enough, he allowed a small cry to leave his lips as the child held his head in his hands, trying to alleviate the pain.

It took the brunette a moment to realize his mistake before Baldy wrenched the closet doors open, easily revealing Tsuna. Tears started to gather in his eyes as Baldy picked him up, not at all gently and tossed him into the center of the room. Landing on his left knee Tsuna grabbed hold of it as he lay curled up in a ball on his side.

'_What are they going to do with me? They have guns so they could shoot me, and then there's that conversation that I couldn't understand, but I'm pretty sure I heard daddy's name… so then are they friends with daddy? Idiot, if they were friend with daddy they wouldn't be breaking into his house. Well then, how do they know daddy-'_

Tsuna's thoughts were cut short when he was picked up rather painfully by the back of his t-shirt, and brought right up in front of the face of a clearly pissed Boss guy. The tears were now cascading down Tsuna's cheeks as he struggled to get out of Boss guys vice like grip.

Seeing Tsuna's pathetic escape attempt he sneered before tightening his grip and once again touching his earpiece. _"__Boss we found him… he was_ _hiding in the closet.__" _Tsuna winced from the tightness of Boss guy's grip that was causing his shirt to tighten particularly around his throat. Now in full out panic mode Tsuna started thrashing even more and crying hysterically.

Right as Tsuna was about to scream bloody murder someone pressed an odd smelling cloth over the shocked child's mouth and nose. Breathing in the strangely intoxicating scent his body quickly became limp. It was strange because Tsuna was still conscious but for some reason he couldn't move at all. Almost like his body was sitting in tar.

After Tsuna had involuntarily calmed down, Boss guy haphazardly tossed the limp boy in the direction of his men. If Tsuna had, had the energy he probably would have screamed like a little girl, but seeing as he was completely drained of such energy the brunette could only helplessly fly through the air and pray that one of the idiots there would catch him.

Luckily Tsuna's prayers were answered when he landed heavily into the arms of none other than mustache man. The boy could feel his large ropy muscles contract under him as the mustache man pulled him to his chest. Muscles that could snap Tsuna like a twig then toss the body into the ocean.

Tsuna tried to fend off the fuzzy sleepiness that was worming its way into his body, but when you have the fact that he was already tired from a full day of playing, coupled with the fact that he was drugged, you can see why he would find it difficult to stay awake.

Just before Tsuna turned himself over to sleepiness he saw Boss guy smirk evilly and say something in his native language that sent shivers down the boys spine. "Our Boss has requested a meeting with you Tsunayoshi Sawada, when exactly you will be returned here will be decided by the boss based on what you say." He chuckled darkly "And you can expect lots of pain if he doesn't like your responses."

_**~0o0~**_

Tsuna opened his eyes groggily only to be met with the empty gray walls of… a prison cell?

Hahaha! Anyway I'm done! So how was it? Also please review, if nobody reviews ill assume that no one wants to read it and won't bother to update.


	2. Captivity

So sorry for the wait but here's the next chapter, enjoy! Also this isn't really an AU story but the plotline will be a little different form the manga or anime.

_**~0o0~**_

(_Last Chapter_)

_Just before Tsuna turned himself over to sleepiness he saw Boss guy smirk evilly and say something in his native language that sent shivers down the boys spine._

"_Our Boss has requested a meeting with you Tsunayoshi Sawada, when exactly you will be returned here will be decided by the boss based on what you have to say." He chuckled darkly "And you can expect lots of pain if he doesn't like what you say."_

_**Captivity**_

_(__When things are bad, we take comfort in the fact that they could always be worse, and when they get worse we find hope in the thought that things are so bad, they can only get better. - anonymous__)_

Tsuna opened his eyes groggily only to be met with the empty gray walls of a…prison cell? It certainly looked like one, with its small 7 by 7 space, low ceiling, and dark gray grimy concrete walls on all sides.

He sat up from his previous spot on the floor to get a better view of his surroundings. The floor was covered in dirt, and dark stains a dark brick red in color, with spots of a more brown shade scattered across the ground. The concrete walls around him were likewise tainted in places by the dark stains, but other than that were dull and boring.

A single metal door was set into the right side of the wall in front of him. The dark room was barely illuminated by the pale light coming from a small window at the top of the door and a thin slit under the door.

Tsuna slowly stood, careful on his feet because of his remaining dizziness, most likely a side effect of the odd substance that he breathed in earlier. He wobbled over to the door and stood on his very tiptoes in a futile attempt to see through the window, and as a result of attempting to balance on his toes in such a dazed state; not to mention his initial clumsiness, the brunette lost his balance and fell backwards.

As Tsuna sat on the sold floor his mind was in turmoil.

'_W-where am I? Why am I here? Who were those men? What is going on?!' _Tsuna wanted to scream his thoughts out loud but something was telling him that that would not be a very good idea, so he managed to keep from speaking but was unable to quell the whimpers or sniffles starting to emerge.

He tried to suppress the growing feelings of dread and fear inching their ways into his heart and soul, but he was ultimately too afraid, and unsure of what was going on to fight back against it.

"Kaa-san …" He whispered desperately, as if everything will get better if he just called her name. Soon tears started streaming down his face, and he sobbed quietly in the dark prison cell until exhaustion reclaimed him and he fell back asleep.

~0o0~

Tsuna doesn't know how much time has passed. Days, weeks all he knows is that he is starving.

Every once in a while a small dish of water would be pushed under the door, but the three year old refused to drink it after the first few times he had tried it and fallen into a drug induced sleep not five minutes after. So he refused.

But he never got any food, and by now he couldn't even breathe properly. It hurt to draw breath into his dry mouth and parched throat, but he knows that he will defiantly regret drinking the water again.

But that doesn't stop him from wanting to. He will often find himself staring at the water and will imagine it taunting him with its cool clear appearance. When in reality it's trying to confuse him and drive him to the edge.

But unbearable hunger and thirst were not the worst of his problems, no the hallucinations were much worse. At first he just saw vague shapes of people roaming around his cell but over time the unclear shapes evolved into seemingly solid figures. And they talked too. Sometimes he saw his Mama, and other times his daddy, he even saw his grandpa once.

But other than that he just saw random people he had never met before.

A scary man wearing a suit and fedora, or occasionally a silver haired boy playing the piano. He also saw a raven haired boy playing baseball, then a white haired boxer. He eventually saw a skylark beating up other kids with tonfas, then a bluenette with an medical eye patch over is right eye huddled in a corner with two other boys. He even saw a purple haired girl living in a big mansion.

Tsuna for some reason enjoyed watching the apparitions talk and live their lives. They weren't all happy, but at least they weren't like him.

At one point Tsuna no longer had the energy to move and that is the day a man dressed in a suit, looking much like the men that brought him here, came.

Tsuna was lying on his side in a corner of the room, watching in curiosity as the fedora wearing man walked up the side of a cliff with six other people. The brunette had seen them before, the man, Reborn as he is called, would have meetings with them every once in a while.

They would talk about things that didn't make any sense, but something told him the information was important so he filed it away in his memory for later use. Tsuna watched in tired interest as Reborn turned around without warning and pointed his gun at an empty space _"Come out." _He ordered in a silky voice. Then a blonde wearing camouflage came out of hiding from around the corner.

Tsuna didn't get to see any more as the thick metal door to his cell was roughly wrenched open, shedding a large amount of light on the malnutritioned brunette. He blinked back tears at the sudden brightness.

The three year old barely registered the figure walking briskly towards him, until a sharp pain ripped through his side as he was kicked rather harshly into a wall. "Get the hell up brat; boss wants you!"

The child didn't even get a chance to figure out how he managed to stand before he was shoved roughly from behind in the direction of the door. Understanding the man's unspoken order Tsuna began walking shakily out of his cell.

At first the light outside his cell was blinding, but he was eventually able to open his eyes a little.

He was in a very pretty hallway, dark polished wood boards covered the floors, and the white walls were decorated with detailed paintings of people and flowers. It looked a lot like the inside of a king's castle would look like, lavish and regal.

He didn't get much time to admire the interior designing because he was once again shoved from behind. After a few minutes of walking down the beautiful passages the suit wearing man stopped the boy before a set of white French doors.

The man moved in front of Tsuna and knocked politely on the door before opening it and kicking the brunette inside with a threatening growl, before slamming the door shut on Tsuna's foot.

The boy yelped in pain as he felt something in his foot crack. Pain laced up his leg and registered sharply in his brain forcing tears to his eyes and a whimper from his throat. Resisting the urge to cry uncontrollably he looked up to study the new room he was thrown, or more precisely, kicked into.

It was just as royal looking as the halls. Wood floors and pretty paintings, but there were a few differences.

In this room a desk with a man sitting behind it was right in front of him over by the windows, and suit clad henchmen stood all around the walls of the room, looking very tense at the brunette's entrance. They all looked scary.

But the man sitting behind the desk, despite being dressed in the same attire, was far scarier than any of the henchmen. He had short black hair and piercing blue eyes. A dragon tattoo spread across the skin of his neck and he had an aura that basically said 'don't fuck with me'.

Tsuna shivered as the man's gaze bore into him. He wanted to cry in pain and anger and fear, but a warning bell went off in his head, telling him that he might not survive the repercussions of his actions if he did anything loud or annoying, like crying. So he bit his bottom lip in order to stop a second whimper from escaping him.

The man dubbed by Tsuna as Dragon smirked at the sight of the brat barely holding himself together. He nodded towards one of his man and they quickly crossed the room to the small child.

Once there, the man leaned down and gripped both of Tsuna's hands behind his back and positioned the boy so that he was on his knees looking up at the face of Dragon.

The three year old didn't even bother trying to struggle, mostly because he didn't have the energy and partially because he knew it wouldn't make a difference. The man was so much bigger and stronger than him. Fighting back would do nothing but make things worse for him in the long run.

Dragon's smirk grew bigger when the boy didn't struggle. Has he already given up hope? The mafia don wouldn't be surprised if he did, very few don't when they go through a week in that room, with only drugged water and themselves.

Many commit suicide by biting their tongues. Very few are able to come out and the ones that do are all broken by the time they are let out.

Isolation can do a lot to a person and to a small child the effects would defiantly be enough to traumatize.

Dragon walks up to the Vongola brat, the son of Iemitsu, the Outside Advisor and leader of CEDEF. There are so many uses for the brat, threatening the Vongola, getting ransom money, making Iemitsu bend to his will and become his spy.

So many possibilities, but they will only work out if the child has given up hope. Good thing he's only three. It makes it easier to get him to submit.

Dragon kneels in front of the boy which actually makes the man's henchmen a little nervous. Is their boss going to kill the brat? Sure he's the enemy's kid but they don't exactly want to see him get tortured to death by their malicious, bloodthirsty boss.

Much to everyone's shock, even Tsuna's, Dragon wrapped an arm around the boys head and pulled the brats face to his chest in a one armed hug. Everyone was wondering what the hell had happened to their boss. Had he taken a drug or was he sick?

Dragon smirked at the looks on his subordinates faces. Like fish gasping for air out of the water.

Dragon is simply trying to get the brat to trust him, so that it will be easier to manipulate him. If he's scared of all of his men and he is the only one to brat can turn to and trust, it will make the interrogation so much easier. The brat will just tell him anything he knows.

He may only be a kid, but even children can pick up bits of a conversation Besides, Iemitsu might have been careless and spoken Vongola secrets within earshot if the brat thinking that he would be too young to remember anything or eve care about what was said.

Tsuna immediately knew that something was up. Why on earth would the boss of the cruel men who took him, be hugging him, it was beyond the boy's comprehension. A heavy feeling settled in his heart, it was the same kind of feeling he got when someone was lying to him.

He mulled over it for a moment, but came up with nothing. It doesn't make any sense. Something in his head was warning him not to trust this man or anything he says, under any circumstances.

"Are you alright? They didn't hurt you too bad did they?" Dragon asked with the brats face still pressed to his chest. If the brat saw the creepy look on his face right now, it would ruin everything.

Tsuna, not wanting Dragon to know how afraid and hurt he was, shook his head. Despite the fact that he could barely move and that he's pretty sure something in his foot is broken. He didn't want the man to know just how close to tears he really was.

Dragon's smirk faltered when the brat shook his head. He expected the brat to start crying and begging to be with his mommy and to say that yes he was hurting. Dragon was no fool; he heard the faint crack and gasp of pain when the brat's foot was crushed in the door.

His eyes narrowed in realization. Had the brat not yet given up? Was he not yet broken? He quickly grabbed the brat by the shoulders and pushed him away from his body so that he could look the brat in the eyes.

Instead of fear and desperation like he expected to find in those windows to the soul, what he saw made anger flash through his own eyes. Yes there was fear but there was also anger, confusion, sadness, pain, and worst of all defiance. The brat was far from giving up his end of the fight.

Dragon stood then walked back to his desk, he had just made it to the front of the desk when his anger flared and he lashed out at the desk with a powerful drop kick, which immediately broke the mahogany desk in half, and put a sizable crack in the floor boards.

"How the hell did you buffoons fail to check that he was broken, he is useless if he isn't broken!" Dragon roared at the assembled men.

Tsuna winced at the volume and at the amount of killer intent dripping off of the man. Broken? What do they mean?

Then dragon pointed to one of the men. "YOU!"

The man flinched and looked like he was about to piss himself. "Y-ye-yes b-b-bo-boss?"

"Tell Flavus that I want him to break the Vongola brat." He ordered

The poor subordinate's face paled at the mention of the most brutal man in their famiglia "B-boss are you sure? Flavus could kill him!"

Irritated at being questioned by a mere foot soldier, Dragon sent a glare at the man that could peel wallpaper.

"Tell Flavus that he is not allowed to kill the brat. If he does I will revoke his authority to kill the trainees when they do not meet his expectations. Am I understood?"

"Y-yes sir!" the underling yelled enthusiastically but on the inside he was cowering in fear. The last person that was sent to give Flavus a message was sent back missing his arms and a leg. He pitied the kid that would be forced to endure that man's tortures.

Then Dragon looked at a different subordinate who also flinched at the sudden gaze of his boss.

"AND YOU!" he shouted "Take this brat to the torture chambers. NOW!"

"Y-yes boss!" He called, and then he ran over to the still kneeling brunette and grabbed him by his spikey hair. "C'mon damn brat!" he growled as he started dragging Tsuna out the door. Who literally had no idea what was going on.

One second Dragon was hugging him, the next he was ordering him to be tortured by a Flavus. What's a Flavus anyway? And what does torture mean? He cringed in pain as he was dragged down the hall by his hair but didn't resist.

He instead closed his eyes in the hopes of resting his eyelids that have been threatening to close for a while now. He didn't hate the Dragon man, or really any of the people here, he just disliked them for taking him to some odd place and blatantly mistreating him. He was angry and he wanted to escape and go back home. But he didn't hate them. They must have some sort of reason.

Tsuna noticed that the man was a lot gentler to him once out of his boss's vision. So they must be afraid of their leader. _'That isn't right, you should have a good, friendly relationship with your leader'_ he could help but think.

Instead of pulling mercilessly on his fluffy brown locks the man had instead transferred his grip to Tsuna's arm, and instead of walking at a breakneck pace like earlier, he walker slower so that it wasn't as painful on the four year olds broken foot.

Only when the man dragging him stopped did Tsana open his eyes tiredly to observe his surroundings. They were now in a much older and… well… messier part of the building. The walls were cracked and the wallpaper peeling. The floor was pretty much covered in trash and the lighting was very dull and weak.

The man had stopped before a metal door looking a lot like the door that had been in his old cell. It made him nervous, are they going to lock him up without food or real water again?

The man pushed open the door and was greeted with a metal staircase going straight down into the darkness of the room. Instead of continuing to drag the brunette down the stairs like Tsuna expected, the man scooped him up and carried him down the stairs.

Tsuna squeaked in surprise and gripped tightly onto the front of the man's suit to keep from falling from his gentle yet strong grip. Maybe the man has a soft spot for kids?

As the man walked down into the impending darkness, something in Tsuna's head told him that if he didn't get away now he wouldn't be able to for a long time and that during the time he would surly spend in this dark room he would endure terrible things that should never be done to a boy of his age… or a child at all for that matter.

Deciding to play on his captor's apparent love of children Tsuna turned his teary gaze to the man holding him.

"M-mister why am I h-here?" He asked in a trembling voice, hoping that the man would be willing to help him. But sadly the man only shot the brunette a sympathetic look before returning his gaze to the front of him.

Tsuna found himself pouting in disappointment. But he didn't have long to sulk over his failure because the man carrying him opened yet another door at the bottom of the staircase. Tsuna turned his head away from the man's shoulder in order to see the new room.

This room was large and round, maybe twenty feet in diameter. It was built out of stone blocks and it had all kinds of odd creepy things laying around in it. There were chains connected to the walls, sharp objects, whips, and all kind of weird things.

The room itself was almost pitch black and the only source of light were two torches attached to the walls on Tsuna's left and right. All and all it was the scariest thing Tsuna's seen in his short life of three years.

But he didn't have the energy to struggle as the man brought him over to a set of chains, on the wall opposite the door.

The man put him down gently, once again surprising the brunette. He leaned Tsuna against the wall and then proceeded to put the handcuffs attached to the chains around his thin wrists. He tightened them so that Tsuna couldn't slip his hands through and free himself.

Then he pulled the chains up so that the boy was standing on unsteady feet against the wall rather than sitting against it.

Tsuna, now desperate and scared gave the man one last pleading look in the hopes that it would move the man so that he would help him.

'_I need to get out! Or… or … I don't know what, but something will happen!'_ he cried inside his head but on the outside he said pathetically "Please help, mister" he felt tears starting to slide down his face.

The man cringed at the sight of the tears but the sad look stayed in place, meaning he wasn't going to help. But to Tsuna's surprise the man knelt down so that they were face to face then leaned forward and whispered in the boys ear,

"Listen boy, I cannot help you. But I will say this. The man that is going to come here will do terrible things to you and will threaten you and order you to do many things. But no matter what, you must never beg for him to stop and you must never cry in front of him. If he sees you cry he will make it worse, and if he hears you beg he will make it worse. You must not do anything he orders you to, and you must not say anything to him or in front of him. And also, you must not give up hope that you will escape from here. No matter what is done to you, you must not give up the fight, understood?"

Tsuna was surprised at the advice and more than a little confused about what he was talking about, but he took the man's words to heart nonetheless.

He nodded "Yes mister thank you."

Tsuna let a shy smile shine through, and at the words and smile from the brunette the man smiled too. He stood, ruffled Tsunas already messy and grimy hair then spun on his heel and walked towards the door.

At the door the man paused as if remembered something important then turned his head to look at Tsuna, who donned a curious look.

"Also… when Flavus isn't here, food will be delivered. Even if you don't want to eat it or if you can't eat it, you should always try" Tsuna nodded again at the odd advice but was happier at the idea of filling his empty stomach. Then Tsuna remembered something.

"M-mister! What's a Flavus?" He called after the retreating form of the man.

The man paused again and shivered but didn't turn around.

"Flavus is the man that will be keeping you company for a while."

Tsuna noticed that the man spit out the name Flavus as if it were some kind of curse word. _'So he doesn't like this Flavus person'. _

Once the man left the only light in the room was coming from that of the torches, Tsuna's foot throbbed painfully and he grit his teeth in order to stop from crying. He shouldn't be caught crying when the man, Flavus, gets here; who knows what will happen if he's caught.

So the three year old simply curled into himself as much as he could, given the fact that his arms were chained above his head, in order to preserve body heat in the surprisingly cold room, and tried to rest.

_**~0o0~**_

It felt like hours that Tsuna stood there, his arms were numb by that time, and he had given up on putting any weight on his broken foot. He was drifting in and out of sleep which is weird considering his uncomfortable position, and he found comfort in the returning hallucinations.

He was right in the middle of watching the purple haired girl play all by herself in an empty room when the door to his large cell was kicked open, with so much force that it almost came off of its hinges. It hit the wall with so much power that the stone cracked.

Standing there in a red sweatshirt, black sweat pants, and red converse was a young man. He had shoulder length black hair held back by a white hair band, and glowing yellow eyes. A demonic smirk was painted on his face and his eyes danced with the light of insanity.

His eyes with slit pupils like a cat's looked like they were looking right through Tsuna, stripping him bare, making him weaker and more vulnerable, seeing right into his heart and soul, all of his fears and insecurities, his likes, and dislikes, even his feelings and opinions. All broken down and ripped apart by the calculative eyes of a single man.

Tsuna wanted to break down in tears; he wanted to scream in fear _'is this Flavus?' _He felt his eyes well up with tears as everything that has happened over the past week caught up to him.

'_Will I ever see mama again? Why have I been seeing weird hallucinations? Why am I chained up? What's going to happen to me? Am I going to die? Is Flavus going to kill me?' _(Morbid thoughts for a four year old)

Tsuna was really about to break down into a screaming, crying mess, but then the man's words returned to him.

"_And also, you must not give up hope that you will escape from here. No matter what is done to you, you must not give up the fight, understood?"_

That had the brunette catching himself.

'_That's right I cannot cry, beg, speak, or do what Flavus tells me to, no matter what. I'm sure that man told me those things for a reason. I don't know why but I feel that I can trust him.' _Tsuna thought, steeling his determination.

He _will_ get out of here and see his mother again. His father _will_ get him out. His dad promised not to let anything hurt him, he will be fine. Not even Flavus can stop him from getting out one day.

"Hm? Well, well if it isn't the little Vongola brat~ so you're the one boss-chan wants me to break." he sang.

His voice was smooth and silky a lot like the fedora wearing man, Reborn's, voice. But Flavus' held a kind of maniacal edge to it, a more sadistic, cruel tint that put a small crack in Tsuna's resolve. A crack created by overwhelming fear.

Flavus chuckled at the mortified look on his new play thing's face. The brat looks so cute and innocent it'll be _so _much fun to break him.

His laugh sounded like nails on a chalkboard. High pitched and ear splitting, but not squeaky like a child's voice. It made Tsuna want to curl into a ball with his hands over his ears in an attempt to block out the noise.

"~Hello Vongola-chan I am Flavus, I'll be taking care of you from now on~"

'_So I was right, he is Flavus. What's he going to do to me?' _Tsuna thought as a fresh wave of fear assaulted him.

Flavus strolled into the room taking his time leisurely strutting to Tsuna's side. Once there, the elder of the two knelt down and gripped Tsuna's hair in his hand, using it to tilt the brunettes head so that it was wrenched upward at a painful angle.

Tsuna closed one eye in pain but otherwise kept silent, remembering the advice he was so generously given. Flavus' smirk grew wider at his toy's lack of response. It would be boring if the brat gave up too quickly.

The many ways he could make the kid suffer flashed through his mind in the gruesome imagery that Flavus thinks in. But he shot each and every one of the ideas down. This toy was special.

His mere presence could make even the most war hardened mafiaso cry and beg like a little child. Heck even the boss got uncomfortable with him around. So why does this child not do the same? Yes, this toy was like a breath of fresh air, he was special, so his torment should be special as well.

It shouldn't cause any permanent damage to his movement, but it should scar. Shouldn't heal right away, but should have long lasting effects. Shouldn't make him pass out or die but should defiantly be painful.

The pain should linger for a short while as well. It shouldn't be just a quick thing, like a needle. No, this brat should endure terrible traumatic things, and he should have the scars to prove it. The child should never be able to forget what was done to him.

So then what should the torture be?

Then an idea came, and that one idea created a chain reaction of brilliant, ingenious, sick, terrible, sadistic plans that would defiantly fit his specific criteria. Flavus quickly put together a torture regimen inside his head.

He chuckled darkly. '_Oh yes the brat's time as my toy will be forever ingrained into his mind. He will remember the pain, and the fear. It will break him like nothing else ever could.'_

"_Well then brat we'll be seeing a lot of each other from now on. I look forward to it" Flavis' voice suddenly took on a much harder, sharper, more threatening edge. _

_Tsuna could feel tears threatening to well up in his eyes but he blinked them away. _

_He promptly ignored the sinking feeling in his gut. The feeling that he would not walk away from this place the same person as when he was dragged in. _

_That feeling was correct though. Tsuna would not leave the building as the same little boy he was when he came. No, he will turn into someone strong. Someone with mysterious powers and connections, someone with secrets and mysteries, someone who will bring the mafia either to ruin… or to salvation._

_Which will it be?_

**~0o0~**

Ahahaha! A cliff hanger! There, this is my thank you to the people who reviewed and put my story in their favorites…. Also to those who didn't…

Anyway review or I will conveniently "forget" to update for like a month. Bye bi!


	3. Rescue

_Very sorry for long wait, I could not log into Fanficition! So irritating! _

_Next chapter! I hope you likey. __**This chapter is kinda violent towards Tsuna as a warning, but the information is important so I wouldn't recommend skipping it.**_

**IMPORTANT: I just now realized I've been misspelling Flavis' name. His name is not Flavus, it's Flavis.**

_**~0o0~**_

_(Last Chapter)_

"_Well then brat we'll be seeing a lot of each other from now on. I look forward to it" Flavis' voice suddenly took on a much harder, sharper, more threatening edge. _

_Tsuna could feel tears threatening to well up in his eyes but he blinked them away. _

_He promptly ignored the sinking feeling in his gut. The feeling that he would not walk away from this place the same person as when he was dragged in. _

_That feeling was correct though. Tsuna would not leave the building as the same little boy he was when he came. No, he will turn into someone strong. Someone with mysterious powers and connections, someone with secrets and mysteries, someone who will bring the mafia either to ruin… or to salvation._

_Which will it be?_

_**Rescue **_

_(__Without health life is not life; it is only a state of languor and suffering, an image of death – Buddha__)_

_**(Four months later)**_

It was a cold February night not any later than eleven pm when they came.

A group of figures with bandaged faces and chains, appeared in a burst of black flames, their bodies covered in high collared cloaks and top hats, and shrouded in darkness. They had come to uphold mafia law and punish the lawbreakers of the Dellegio famiglia; the creatures who strike fear into every mafiaso that know their name.

The Vendice

They easily began arresting all members of the family, everyone inside the building whether man woman or child was taken, no one spared. The Vendice do not kill, but those who fought back or showed any form of resistance were punished accordingly, chains breaking bones or chocking until they passed out.

A certain member of the mafia police stood away from the rest, his face less bandaged than his counterparts with wavy black hair coming from the coverings, as a baby dressed in the same attire as the other Vendice stood on his shoulder, a clear pacifier resting against his chest.

"Jagger, I sense a strong flame in that direction." The baby spoke impassively, lifting his hand to point vaguely in the direction to their right.

Jagger wordlessly followed the unspoken order and began walking in the direction specified; taking in the older walls and trashed area they were walking into.

After a few minutes of moving down the dirty hallway the baby once again lifted his hand, but this time pointed at a door "In there."

The raven haired Vendice quickly followed his boss' directions and opened the door to see a staircase leading into darkness. He gradually made his way down the stairs before stopping once again at the bottom facing a second metal door.

"Do you want to continue boss?" he asked in a deep scratchy voice obviously underused, as he stared critically at the door feeling that they, for some reason, should not enter.

"Jagger, are you going against me?" the baby asked icily.

"Of course not." He quickly replied, not wanting his loyalty to be questioned any further.

The baby only dipped his head in the direction of the door before speaking "Then continue on, this flame I feel is almost inhumane in its intensity. I wish to see the source."

Jagger raised an eyebrow that his boss was so interested in a flame but simply reached towards to knob and pried open the door.

The sight that greeted the two Vendice was enough to make their eyes widen and suck in their breath in a short gasp

They were the mafia's law enforcers after all and they have seen their fair share of bloody scenes, hell they'd created over half of them. But when the baby, arcobaleno of the clear pacifier, Bermuda von Veckenschteinsaw the bloody lump of flesh on the floor across the room he could only flinch minutely in both shock and disgust.

It was the body of a tiny child, not possibly any older than three or four, though it could hardly be recognized as a body at all.

The entire body -which was thin and bony from malnutrition-, was bathed in blood and dirt; one could not even tell the child's skin color from the amount of grime and gore lathering the child's body, let alone the gender.

The clothes were ripped and shredded until the once pale blue pajama shirt-now a dark brownish-gray from dirt and blood- was nothing more than a few pieces of cloth scattered about the room, and the similarly colored night pants were so badly torn up that they were practically nonexistent, making the injuries on the body look that much worse with their visibility.

Deep bleeding cuts and dark bruises of black, purple, and nasty -partially healed- yellow were barely visible under the blood and dirt. Even more disturbing were the welts where the skin was hit too hard, too many times to the point where it just split from the blunt strikes.

The assassin could even make out holes in the hands, feet, and stomach, evidence that some kind of large nail or stake was stabbed into them. Bones were visibly shattered, some sticking out of the skin while others stayed internal but resulted in making the part of the body broken lay at an odd angle.

The neck wasn't spared either, dark bruises looking suspiciously like hand prints, and rope burns covered the throat and collar.

Bermuda could even see signs of extreme internal damage in the abdomen and chest, places where internal damage would be fatal, but the worst were the burns.

Red and bloody and some of the skin was even burned black in some places. And the shapes of the burns were odd as well; they were trailed down the child's back in some kind of design that couldn't be deciphered under the grime.

They continued down the legs until they ended on the bottoms of the feet, the burn shapes were the same on the arms, twisting and turning from the shoulder to the fingertips.

But surprisingly enough, there were no burns on the child's face; those features were unknown thanks to the bruises, cuts, and dirt. It was a little unnerving that there was such extensive damage done to the body but the face was hardly touched, like the torturer wanted to preserve the facial features.

The way the burns twisted and turned in thin trails along the child's skin was odd to say the least. In some areas it looked like a certain small part of skin was simply hit with a pressurized blow torch and other areas looked like a thin piece of metal was set on fire and dragged along the skin to form those unique burn marks.

They would surely scar. The only thing that will always scar -no matter what- is a serious burn, and these are certainly second degree burns if not third.

The rancid stench of blood and burnt flesh almost had Bermuda gagging but he settled for scrunching up his nose under the bandages and breathing through his mouth instead, he could tell that Jagger was doing something similar. This child was tortured horribly before death and he or she likely did not deserve it.

They were tortured for a long time and in a way meant only to deliver terrible pain and give permanent scarring. Scarring meant as a reminder to what the child has gone through, a reminder of who gave them those scars- a truly horrible form of torture.

Bermuda closed his eyes for a moment, extending his senses as well as his flame in order to find the source of the powerful flame that was radiating from this room, if the sheer amount of flame pressure swirling around was anything to go by.

'_This ridiculously large dying will flame certainly isn't from that dead child.' _He assured himself as he tried to pinpoint the exact location that the flame was coming from, which was more difficult than he thought from how much flame was permeating the air, though Jagger didn't seem to notice.

Several seconds later, Bermuda's brow furrowed in confusion making his eyes clench shut, before they snapped wide open when he sensed the faint heartbeat and raging flame emanating from the apparently still living child.

Quickly he jumped from Jagger's shoulder and landed next to the child's body, observing for the tell-tale movements of the chest that would indicate that the small human was in fact still among the living, something he simply could not believe from the extensive and life threatening wounds covering their body.

Sure enough he could just barely make out a short, uneven, rising and falling of the chest on the kid's maimed and bloodied body.

"Jagger, this one contains such a powerful flame even when dying. Though I suppose that it is called the dying will flame for a reason." The infant mumbled more to himself than the one he was actually directing his words at.

Jagger looked at his leader in question, but the arcobaleno only paused in his words before continuing.

"This child's will to live is astonishing to say the least, such resolve compiled into such a slight frame and at such a young age is unheard of, even for Mafiosi born into flame using families… Vongola Primo himself didn't awaken his flame until he was eleven, and he was considered a genius."

Bermuda spoke this in an odd tone that Jagger had only heard once before, and it was when he had first heard of Reborn, the strongest Arcobaleno of the most recent generation.

It was an almost awed tone but at the same time it made him seem like he was uninterested, it almost gave off the feeling that he wanted something or was expecting something.

Jagger could only accept his boss' words since he himself could not feel the flames. Hardly any of the Vendice were sensors when it came to dying will flames, but their boss was the best of the best in that regard, being able to even sense heartbeats and killer intent, to a degree that even the world's greatest hitman would not be able to hide from him.

"What do you plan to do about it boss?" the wavy haired raven replied to the Arcobaleno's earlier statement.

If his face wasn't covered by bandages a glint would be visible in his eyes as he answered back decisively "We will take the child to Vendicare, and cultivate that flame, it will be very interesting."

Jagger's eyes widened, he had expected to be given the order to execute the child so that he or she doesn't grow up and become someone who could potentially stir up trouble with that flame if Bermuda's description was anything to go by. But to take a relatively normal human child into Vendicare and train them? Preposterous, never been done before, shouldn't happen, is _against mafia law_.

"Are you planning on making the child into a member of Vendice, boss?"

The baby turned to stare at him which was unnerving even if he couldn't actually see his boss' eyes. "Of course not, don't be ridiculous. Making him into a Vendicare guard is impossible, but I do have a plan for this one…" he trailed off before turning back to the horrendously injured child.

"You are making it a habit to question my orders Jagger, I will explain my plans to you later but at the moment we have a job to finish and if we do not make haste this one shall die, and it would be a pity to lose such a person of interest right now." He explained indifferently before spinning on his heel and moving back up the stairs "Take the child, we are leaving."

Jagger nodded before moving swiftly and carefully scooping the broken body of the child up and into his arms, having no idea as to how Bermuda plans on saving the dying kid. The Vendice is a family of night flame users, the only flame that could possibly heal such extensive injuries would be that of the sun attribute.

It's a miracle that the child hasn't bled to death yet and now they are taking the kid to Vendicare, the world's number one prison in both security and efficiency. Even if their prisoners were released or pardoned for their crimes they would not leave without being completely traumatized with their minds shattered, unless they are already psychopathic to begin with, in which they would be the most troublesome of inmates.

However Jagger questioned his boss' decision no further. He would be allowed to know when he is deemed ready to know and not a second sooner. So being unnaturally careful not to jostle the body of the child he followed Bermuda up the steps and back to the main part of the house. Once there the entirety of the Vendice on this mission gathered to report.

"Jack, Alejandro, Small Gia, Big Pino, Report."

"Everything's cleared up on our end boss! All members of Dellegio famiglia have been apprehended and arrested." Small Gia said with a grin as Big Pino simply stayed silent with a smirk of his own mirroring his partners.

"Ah, same on my part, though I didn't see hide nor hair of our main target." Alejandro reported from his place a few feet away, seeming to be distracted my something.

Jack followed up after his fellow Vendice "Yeah, Flavis wasn't present in the building when we arrived, he might have been expecting us to track him here…" his attention then fell onto Jagger who was stiffly cradling a small body to his chest "And if I may ask, what on earth are you carrying?"

Bermuda quickly cut in before anything more could be said on the matter "That is none of your concern, you will be made aware of that if we can get back to Vendicare before we lose the child!" he exclaimed sharply.

All Vendice were immediately at attention at their boss' tone and nodded before teleporting back to their base in a flash of black flames.

Bermuda glanced back at the still form of the child in his partner's arms feeling an odd emotion flickering to life in his cold vengeful heart before shaking his head and creating a portal out of his black flames for Jagger to safely and quickly get to the base without possibly hurting the kid further through the rough process of teleportation.

Jagger quickly paced to the portal and entered with no hesitation and the Arcobaleno followed shortly after, making sure to close the portal behind him as he entered the heavy blackness of the night flame.

Three steps later Jagger and Bermuda were stepping out of a second portal and into a wide chamber lit by sparse candlelight surrounding a table in the center of the room. Jagger could honestly say that he had never seen this room before, meaning it was likely one of the Vendicare secrets that only Bermuda is privy to.

"Jagger, put the child on the table, I will attend to him." The baby ordered seriously "And you are not to speak of this room to anyone, it does not exist. Just as you are not to speak of what you are about to witness."

The raven haired Vendice could only nod in acknowledgment of the order before depositing the barely breathing body of the child onto the table as gently as he possibly could. _'How does boss plan on saving him? Making him into a member of the Vendice is not possible so what is his plan?' _he wondered as he watched Bermuda hop onto the table and stand next to the child.

Bermuda started at the unmoving form and once again let his gaze wander over the horrendous injuries littering the body before him. Then he closed his eyes and extended both of his hand out and over the quiet form. He called upon an ancient power; one that he hasn't used since his curse was transferred, causing a pale yellow light to flicker from within his clear pacifier.

His hands were suddenly engulfed in pale yellow flames making Jagger's eyes widen in shock as he staggered back a step. The Arcobaleno forced the limited amount of flames out of his body and down into the body of the child he has decided to save. The flickering sun flames licked at skin before slowly entering and beginning the gradual healing process with internal injuries.

Bermuda had both eyes closed in concentration as he used the little sun flames he had left from his original body to heal the kid, bones gradually snapping back into place, and organs repairing themselves of rips and tears, Then once the inside of the child's body was healed, the outside began the same process.

The skin around cuts and lacerations knitting back together leaving only thin white scars and bruises gradually coloring yellow before returning to a creamy off-white skin tone. The burns however were a different story. The singed red skin and blistered shiny burns healed much slower, forcing Bermuda to concentrate the majority of his sun flames onto those areas.

Jagger by now was beside himself with shock and concern. _'How can boss have any of his old flames? They should have all been converted into night flames!' _However all he could do was watch in silent awe as the now bright yellow flames worked their magic on the kid's rapidly healing body.

Slowly, oh so slowly, the extensive burns covering the child's body in thin trails began to change in color and repair into smooth even skin, but burns will always scar. The pencil thin burn marks changed into a pale pink color then into a soft pale brown standing out on nearly white skin. However to the surprise of both Vendice present the burn scars were not raised or shiny like typical burns, instead they were only discolored and likely very painful.

As Bermuda felt the last of the injuries healing he began to retract his hands and pull back his flames only for the yellow dying will fire to suddenly explode from his hands, completely out of his control, and go shooting into the now healed child's chest. The arcobaleno cried out involuntarily, he felt as though his flames were being forcibly sucked from his body and into that of the child, who was now screaming in pain from whatever may be happening.

Before the baby could so much as give the order, Jagger was there and pulling his boss away from the child as the last of his sun flames finally finished being sucked from him and transferring into the kid.

"W-what was that?" Bermuda panted heavily as he tried to compensate for the loss of his old flames with that of his night flames, watching as a bright yellow light engulfed the child in a sphere of sun flames before shrinking smaller and smaller.

Just as the last of Bermuda's high quality sun flames disappeared into the confines of the small human , the child stopped screaming and instead arched its back up and off the table before slumping back down and shivering. Caramel brown eyes barely opened, glazed over with pain and something else Bermuda couldn't decipher.

"Boss are you alright? What exactly happened?" Jagger asked in his usual tone but Bermuda could tell that he was concerned and barely holding back from killing the child that lay hardly conscious on the table.

The baby only waved off his partner with a hand "I'm fine now, but… I think that this one just took my flames from me." This revelation had Jagger stiffening but Bermuda ignored it in favor of staring at the child as its eyes shifted uncomprehendingly around the room before landing on him and his partner.

Their eyes seemed to lock, even though Bermuda's were covered by bandages, and hold for a moment before those big brown eyes slowly drifted shut as the child fell unconscious once again.

A stilted silence reined in the room for a moment as the two Vendice officers fought to control their raging thoughts. The first to get his mind under control was Bermuda who abruptly hopped out of Jagger's grip and onto the floor, stumbling a bit from the strain of summoning a flame that he honestly should no longer have.

"Jagger, I will be fine after a bit of rest and I'll explain my plans concerning this kid for later, but right now I want you to take the child and put him up in the room across from yours, he will be your responsibility for the time being. I will be in my own room, make sure I am not disturbed, but call me if the child awakens." Bermuda before walking out via portal and making his way to his room.

The Arcobaleno of the clear pacifier glanced down at one of his open hands as he walked _'What was that? It was like my flames were being sucked from my body, but at the same time it felt warm and calming.' _He though in confusion before clenching his hand into a fist_ 'No matter, I will unravel this mystery in time and see if that child will be worthy of the title I wish to bestow upon him, if not…." _Bermuda smirked_ 'then there's always the option of killing him.'_

_**~0o0~**_

_Yeah I know I took a long time and that this chapter is super short, but I think I'm gonna do a time skip after this. I might not, but it would provide some mystery so who knows. Sorry for the wait, but I've been bogged down with schoolwork, I think I will be able to get the next chapter up __**much **__sooner than last time._

_As always thank you for reading, and please review so that I know what I'm doing right or wrong._

_Bye bi!_


	4. Reminiscing

_**Okay so here's the next chapter! I also want to thank everyone who has reviewed or put my story in the favorites, I greatly appreciate the support! **_

Also, to those of you who expressed concern, this is not a Dark Tsuna fic, more like a Gray Tsuna fic. He will definitely act different from his canon self, but he will still be the good old Tsuna that we know and love at heart. He simply went through a traumatic experience as a young child so he is going to act a bit different, he's not going to be super powerful or bloodthirsty or anything, but he will be stronger and more intelligent than canon.

Anymore questions or concerns can be asked through review or PM. I usually answer questions when they aren't "When are you gonna update?"

_**~0o0~**_

**Reminiscing**

_(To live is to suffer; to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering – Friedrich Nietzsche)_

_A stilted silence reined in the room for a moment as the two Vendice officers fought to control their raging thoughts. The first to get his mind under control was Bermuda who abruptly hopped out of Jagger's grip and onto the floor, stumbling a bit from the strain of summoning a flame that he honestly should no longer have._

"_Jagger, I will be fine after a bit of rest and I'll explain my plans concerning this kid for later, but right now I want you to take the child and put him up in the room across from yours, he will be your responsibility for the time being. I will be in my own room, make sure I am not disturbed, but call me if the child awakens." Bermuda before walking out via portal and making his way to his room._

_The Arcobaleno of the clear pacifier glanced down at one of his open hands as he walked _'What was that? It was like my flames were being sucked from my body, but at the same time it felt warm and calming.'_ He though in confusion before clenching his hand into a fist _'No matter, I will unravel this mystery in time and see if that child will be worthy of the title I wish to bestow upon him, if not….' _Bermuda smirked _'then there's always the option of killing him.'

_**~0o0~**_

_Tsuna breathed shortly and without pattern as his body shuddered and trembled against the stone wall he had grown accustomed to in his time here._

_All he could see was a dark room lit sparingly by a pair of torches hanging on the wall. The fire lighting them seemed much too bright to be in this dreary place marked by nothing but death. The pale orange flickered with every cold draft of air, mimicking his own shivers, and he feared every day that his only sourced of light would one day be snuffed out. Then he would be left with only the dark stone walls and floor, the cold and menacing metal objects and devices strewn about the room, and the daily appearances of his torturer._

_The sounds in here truly sickened him, rodents scuttling around, scraping their little claws on the stone. Metal chain links clinking together with every shift of his body. Short ragged puffs of air leaving him and resonating loudly in his ears. The pounding of his heart, sometimes rapid with fear, other times slow and uneven from blood loss. The shrill screams that come from other rooms and even his own. And the crazed maniacal laughter of the one who brings him to the brink of death every day just to see how long he can take it._

_Feelings of pain. Excruciating, agonizing, burning pain are an unwelcome constant in his current life. Sharp and never ending when first dealt, before becoming achy and inconsistently coming forth again and again with a vengeance. Pounding headaches and horrifying nightmares paint his every living moment with blood and death. His body alternating from being extremely over heated to being so cold that the dank stone and occasional drafts of freezing air become his only sources of minimal warmth. His body always weak from the infection of a wound left untreated or some kind of sickness from his less that abysmal living conditions._

_Smells exist here that make him nauseous and crinkle his nose up in disgust, he eventually gets so used to the rankness that he barely notices it, but only until a new horrible smell assaults his nose and makes him dizzy. The heavy smell of blood almost constantly permeates the air, along with the occasional but putrid scent of ammonia and other cleaning products. The stench of rotten food and mildly drugged water, that he somehow manages to force down his throat every day despite the pain he feels, is like a psychological form of torture. He hungers terribly and yet every time he goes to eat, he gags from the smell of it alone._

_Even worse than the smells are the flavors he is presented with on a daily basis. The metallic taste of his own blood, a flavor that is in his mouth more often than not, makes his stomach churn along with the rotten slop he somehow manages to swallow. The times he manages to drink the odd smelling water a faint flavor of something foul and unimaginably putrid dances across his taste buds. And occasionally his torturer will bring a small round tablet with him, and force it into his mouth, delivering an extremely spicy burning sensation to his tongue that will leave him unable to move it for a couple days._

_Throughout all of these horrible experiences, above everything else, Tsuna wanted it to stop. He wished for darkness, silence, numbness, anosmia, blandness. He would rather have no senses at all than be subject to this every day._

_The only reasons he never gave up, never stopped fighting to survive everything thrown at him, never allowed his sanity to crumble and shatter. The only things keeping him alive were the hope- no, the knowledge, that he would one day escape from this place and return to his mother, and the near constant hallucinations that he now witnessed in great detail and clarity, as if he were right there with them to see everything. _

_They come almost all the time, shifting to a new scene once one ends and then going back to the first at the end of the cycle._

_Tsuna doesn't see the suit-and-fedora man anymore, the one with curly sideburns that likes to point his gun at people. The last Tsuna saw of him was when a bright flash of light engulfed him and the rest of his group near the edge of a cliff. But he does see the others, the other children._

_He sometimes wonders if he is perhaps intruding into their lives by witnessing every moment they go through, by being privy to every tear they shed or terror they experience. This thought would always send tremors of self-loathing down his spine; he can't control the visions no matter how hard he tries, so he has no choice but to watch each and every scene up to the end. Nothing Tsuna does can seem to stop the visions showing him these people's lives. Closing his eyes or sleeping does nothing to deter the images; in fact they seem to come even more often and in better quality, in the form of vivid dreams, when he sleeps. So he holds off on the healing refuge that sleep gives him in an attempt to give these people some form of privacy in their darkest moments._

_Despite the disgust with himself that comes with each hallucination, these images also bring him great comfort and peace in his new life of pain and horror. They are the only things keeping him sane, and not only that but the people he sees in these visions often are going through terrible troubles too. _

_The silverette, who he has discovered to be named Gokudera Hayato, is struggling with the discrimination of his household and others for being born from a mistress, as well as having to suffer through eating the poisoned concoctions of his older half-sister almost every day. He acts out a bit in an attempt to get his father's attention but in the end he is only ever punished for his transgressions and locked in a closet. These actions seem to have given the boy a large inferiority complex and have given him a rather bleak view on life, thinking his own existence to be worthless. His only solstice seems to be the piano teacher who is a kind and loving woman that accepts him. Tsuna also can't help but notice the resemblance they share with each other and the similarities her actions bear to the maternal actions that his own mother once showed him. _

_From what Tsuna can tell, Hayato is very untrusting and hostile to the majority of people, but if one were to ever see underneath all of that maliciousness they would find an ever-loyal, protective, intelligent, friend that would stay by your side up to the very end._

_The young baseball player he has seen many a time is called Yamamoto Takeshi, and while he always has a bright smile on his face, Tsuna can tell that it's fake from the visible pain in his eyes that no one else seemed to notice. He had lost his mother to a car accident not even a week ago, and has been holding himself together with nothing but that fake smile and forced laugh ever since. Tsuna has not even seen the boy shed a single tear since he received news of her death and it is very concerning for Tsuna. Tsuna knows that he is bottling up his feelings and that one day they will explode and he will do something drastic and desperate, he needs help, someone he can trust to gently coax those feeling out and into the open so that they don't crush him. Takeshi's father tries to be that person, but in the end it isn't enough. _

_Takeshi gives him so much worry sometimes, despite his own situation, because Tsuna knows that dealing with internal demons is leagues harder than going through any form of physical pain._

_The boxing boy happens to be named Sasagawa Ryohei and he is always fighting kids, both his age and older, for the protection of his younger sister. Tsuna has never liked fighting himself but he can definitely admire Ryohei's resolution and reason. To protect. Tsuna also understands that Ryohei fights as a way to blow off all of the extra energy he has, and the pain he feels for his parent's up and coming divorce. _

_At the same time that Tsuna admires the boxer, he cannot help but feel upset and a bit disgusted by the actions of his sister, Kyoko. She is always telling him not to fight, that she won't forgive him if he keeps fighting, but she has no idea about the reasons why Ryohei fights, she obliviously forces Ryohei to swear off fighting when it is the only thing keeping him sane. Kyoko doesn't understand anything about their parent's problems, but Ryohei does and tries to protect her from it like a good older brother, if things keep going as they are Kyoko is going to become the means for Ryohei's destruction, something that Tsuna cannot stand to happen. _

_Ryohei may be a bit simpleminded and loud but Tsuna knows that he is far from an idiot. Tsuna can tell that, under all of the obnoxious yelling, Ryohei is hurting inside, he is torn up over his parents' separation and being responsible for his sister's protection, he is being overwhelmed and he needs a vent._

_The tonfa wielding raven known as Hibari Kyoya comes from a prestigious family involved heavily in the police force and detective work, his parents being police chief and head of the investigation department respectively. As could be expected, Kyoya's parents have high expectations for him and can only accept him being a strong fighter for justice, if he is weak, he is worthless. Unfortunately Kyoya was born with severe asthma that would not allow him to exercise or train; he couldn't even go outside for extended periods, lest he risk an attack. _

_This results in his parents shunning him and thinking him to be nothing but weak, pathetic trash, his mother largely ignoring him or hitting him whenever he gets too close, and his father renouncing any relations they may have and kicking Kyoya out of the house in the hopes that he will die so his existence will no longer stain their lineage of strength and power. It is through these events that Kyoya has learned that only the strong survive, so he began to train and fight, forcing his body past its limits and suffering from his breathing problems every day, throughout this time he is begrudgedly living with his Uncle Fon. _

_Tsuna can see that Kyoya hates being around people because of their weakness, but at the same time he yearns desperately for someone to be his equal, his partner, he wishes to have someone to trust in wholeheartedly and confide in. Tsuna can only pray that he finds that person soon before he closes himself off from society completely and submits to the animalistic instinct he is trying to emerge himself in._

_The bluenette with the medical eyepatch and hairstyle reminiscent to a pineapple, the one who goes by the name Rokudo Mukuro, has been locked up in some kind of laboratory since the first time Tsuna saw him. There he and his two companions undergo terrible experimentation in that building of terror and can only watch helplessly as Mukuro is strapped to a table and ruthlessly experimented on. The scientists test new drugs and equipment on him every once in a while, but they mainly conduct surgery after painful surgery on his right eye. The blunette's situation is not all that different from his own, and Tsuna's heart yearns to somehow help him escape from his horrible situation. If he had the chance, Tsuna would gladly take his place in order to spare Rokudo of his suffering. Mukuro tries to act mean and uncaring, like nothing but a strong, manipulative human being, but Tsuna knows that under all of that deception in nothing but a scared, hurt, misunderstood person, who cares more about the safety of his two friends than his own survival._

_However Tsuna can also sense a growing darkness in Mukuro similar to what he can feel growing in Kyoya. Mukuro is starting to immerse himself in hatred so that he may take revenge for what the world has done to him and his companions; he is nursing that hatred into something even darker and uglier, something evil. Tsuna fears greatly for Mukuro's safety and his future with the way his outlook is now, the way things are happening, Mukuro will go down a path of destruction, both to others and to himself. _

_Mukuro needs someone that he can trust in, someone who understands his pain and doesn't discriminate his actions. Above everything, Mukuro needs a true friend, someone who will care for him and look out for him without an ulterior motive, someone to love and cherish, but not treat him like he is weak. Just someone to treat him like what he is: a young hurt human child. _

_The girl with violet hair who lives in an enormous mansion is named Nagi Akiyama, and she is a year younger than Tsuna. Regardless of her age she is a very bright child, however people don't often see that because she is so quiet and withdrawn. She worries about troubling her parents, whose relationship is already on ice thin enough to shatter from the softest of breezes. Nagi lives a rather comfortable life in comparison to some of the other children Tsuna sees, she never has to worry about hunger, lack of shelter, or physical pain. She has nothing to fear in that big house, with pristine furniture, servants at her beck and call, and the best clothes and toys money can buy. The purplette lives the life that so many would sell their souls for, but she suffers just as much as any of the other hallucinations._

_Tsuna can feel nothing but great sadness and compassion for the young girl as she sits alone in that big house day in and day out with nothing but crushing silence, until the scathing yells and screams of her parents arguing echoes through the halls. She cries herself to sleep every night and merely goes through the motions of living. Nagi may not have to suffer through the physical pains of life and torture, but she goes through emotional pain and loneliness on a level beyond Tsuna's comprehension. Every time Tsuna sees her sitting by herself in a room, just staring blankly at a wall, he wants to go to her, hug her, talk to her, play with her and be her friend. Because he knows how horrible it is to have no friends, and could never even begin to imagine such loneliness and despair._

_Tsuna can tell, without a doubt, that the only thing Nagi needs, will ever need, is a friend. Someone to trust and rely on, to hold her when she cries, share secrets with her, and laugh with her about anything and everything. Akiyama has already withdrawn herself so far away from the natural plane of existence that Tsuna worries if anybody will be able to pull her out of her shell and give her the chance to be that bright young girl again. _

_He wishes desperately to be that person, but can only pray that she will one day meet that person who will be her friend through thick and thin, as he likely won't be able to escape from this place in time to save her from her life of loneliness._

_The pain he sees each and every one of these people go through, the kids who he has come to care for deeply in his time of watching them go through their lives, the people he can relate so much to but at the same time have nothing in common with, the pain they go through makes Tsuna want nothing more than to scream and curse the god that has condemned them to such lives._

_Tsuna may not be the violent type of person but he would do anything to relive their suffering if he could, and it is the fact that he can't do anything to help them that causes tears of frustration and sadness to streak down his face. _

_The only thing Tsuna can ever do as he is forced to witness the pains of the hallucinated children, is send his feeling to them. His sympathy and comfort, his hope of things one day getting better, his compassion and measured amount of happiness when he sees that they are all relatively okay for their situation, that they are all _alive_._

_Tsuna can tell that his feelings are reaching them by the slightest changes of their expressions. _

_Hayato's near permanent expression of sad discontentment always softens a bit, his eyes regaining a childish light that he seems to lose more and more of every time Tsuna sees him. Then of course the silverette would look around wildly as if searching for where such feelings originated from, as if he could really sense the eyes trailing his form as he reacts to the sentiments of the brunette. Tsuna cannot help but crack a smile whenever Hayato starts mumbling to himself about UMA's influencing his mood._

_Takeshi's constant fake, plastered on smile, will sometimes lessen or turn a little more real. Tsuna can even recall times when he would send feelings of slight disappointment at Yamamoto's lies to his father and the mask of happiness would fall altogether. Then his eyes would sweep the premises in shock before brushing it off and re-donning the grin that Tsuna hates so much. Tsuna has to admit that Takeshi's mask is tough to see through let alone crack or break, but he has confidence that it's possible._

_Ryohei's hidden weariness and sadness, the weight on his shoulders, would seem to lift whenever Tsuna sent his concerns to the boxer. It would always seem like someone had injected a ton of energy into Ryohei from the way he would suddenly want to run around and train. His back would straighten and his shoulders would square before he realizes what happened and drops into a fighting stance in paranoid worry. Tsuna would always chuckle a bit at his reaction._

_Kyoya's developing expression of blankness and take-everything-in-stride-and-don't-care-about-any thing-but-power mask would shift to something softer and more suiting of a child, more innocent and less menacing. His entire body would relax against his will and his eyes would almost droop shut as a feeling of comfort that he has never felt envelops him, before his eyes would snap wide and his body would tense and fall into a shaky fighting stance, panic flaring to life in his chest at the unfamiliar feelings. His reactions never failed to sadden Tsuna._

_Mukuro's ever present smirk of defiance, or scowl of hatred and pain, would seem to morph into an expression of shock for a long moment, uncaring of the people his is with or situation he is in. The blunette's eyes would become glassy with unshed tears and his body would start to shake and tremble at Tsuna's emotions, like he didn't know how to handle such feelings. _

_Then one of his companions would get his attention or he would snap out of it himself and his gaze would automatically zero in on the place where Tsuna's eyes would be if he were actually present. A single blue orb would clash with caramel for a second, and surprise the brunette every time, before Mukuro would look back to his companions and seemingly forget anything ever happened. But Tsuna can see the slight change in Mukuro's temperament after each time their eyes meet, despite Mukuro not being able to actually see him. He can see the slight clenching of the boy's fists and curiously grateful gleam in his eye._

_Nagi's reaction will always be Tsuna's favorite. Her constant expression of hopelessness, sadness, loneliness and uneasiness would collapse into a tender smile of happiness at the feeling of being loved as a friend. Her body would relax and her shyness would all but evaporate into cheerful enthusiasm. She would stay as such for up to ten minutes before reality would seemingly crash back into her and she would withdraw back into her shell, wary and nervous but still happy for the unknown sentiments she received._

_Tsuna hates the fact that he is always forced to witness the lives of these people without their consent, but nothing makes him feel more alive than when he can make their lives even a little better by sharing his emotions with them. Tsuna wouldn't mind being stuck in his life of hell forever as long as he could continue to help his hallucinations go through their lives._

_So he would put up with the fear of darkness but constant wish for it at the same time. He would ignore the sounds that made him want to claw at his ears until they bled. He would make it through the never ending cycles of hurting and healing, he would take the pain. He would close himself off from the bitter flavors and rancid stenches, he would consume food in order to survive and continue through the horrible smells that made him lightheaded. _

_Because as he is right now, he is not living for himself, or for his mother or father, not for his grandfather, and certainly nor for Flavis…no, right now he is living for the sole purpose of making the lives of the people he cares about better, even if it's only in a small, nearly insignificant way. He would survive, and one day he would escape and find these people._

_One day he will find his friends, his family, and he would help them, love them, cherish them, and above all else..._

_He would never let them go._

_**~0o0~**_

_I'm… kind of in love with a very close, familial, friendshippy Tsuna and guardians. I especially love a possessive or protective Tsuna, but not in a cruel or sadistic way, so I hope that explains the end a bit._

_Also did anybody get the impression that I'm pairing anybody in particular? That wasn't my aim at all; there are no set pairings for his fic. It's all friendship love and family love… in the crazy way that the mafia in the KHR universe has of showing it._

_Not much progress to the actual plot, but the next one will definitely be a time-skip and the story will finally be making some progress. Sorry for the long wait, I have no excuse._

_You know the drill: review if you want to let me know what you think or act a question. And feel free to PM me as I always respond to those... though not in a very timely manner._


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